Amusement device.



M. F. TROSTLER.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1912.

Patented June 9, 1914,

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APPLICATION IILED JAN. 6, 1912.

1,099,899. Patented June 9,1914;

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onirnn s'rarns PATENT OFFICE MAX F. TROSTLER, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

larly adapted to use in a large scale in amusement parks.

It comprises mechanism for rotatlng boats through the water of a lagoon at high speed about a central tower or support.

IVhile apparently applying the principle of the merry-go-round to water, in reality my device is a considerable improvement over any such mechanism by reason of the varying speeds at which I can drive the boats, thus giving the appearance and almost the reality of a motor boat race.

The above result is accomplished by means of two rotatable sleeves 0r shafts which are mounted upon a central support and which each have several downwardly extending arms to which boats may be attached. By.

driving the two sleeves at different speeds I can make either set of boats pass the other and it is possible to place the boats on corresponding arms substantially abreast of.

each other. By reason of the small number of arms each two competing boats are iso lated to such an extent from the remainder of the boats that the impression of racing is very well imitated. Controlling eachset of boats are other means for allowing each boat to lag somewhat behind the arm to which it is attached. In this way each boat can be held at almost any desired position .with relation to the apparently competing boat.

It will be obvious that the present mechanism is not necessarily limited to the driving of boats but may be used to drive conveyances on land or water, with but small change. To the accomplishment of these and related ends said invention consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Specification of Letters IPatent.

Application filed January 6, 1912.

shown attached Patented June 9, 1914. Serial No. 669,846.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing: Figure 1 is a view in perspective of my mechanism as it would appear when installed ready for operation in a small pond or lagoon; Fig. 2 is a central vertical section showing the driving mechanism and the construction and arrangement of the central support and rotatable sleeves; Fig. 3 is a plan section of the line 33 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4; isa front eleva tion of one of the arms to which a boat is r Fig. 5 is a partial side elevatio-n'of the armshown in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a central section of a modification of the central support and the rotatable sleeves.

In Fig. l the general construction and appearance of my device will be seen. In the center of a pond or lagoon there will be erected a tower, light house,or some similar building, in which will be contained driving mechanism for the boats. Such mechanism is completely hidden from the general view, the driving mechanism proper being in the tower, and the radial arms upon which the boats are mounted being curved in such a way that they are completely beneath the water or within thetower. It will be seen that the tower must be entirely supported from the central support because a space between the bottom of the tower and the bottom of the pond must be left in which the arms will rotate.

In Fig. 2 is shown a driving mechanism comprising motors 1 which are mounted upon a platform 2 held by a bracket 3 upon a central support 4. The latter will of course be suitably held in a concrete base 5 sunk in the bottom of the lagoon. The central support will be stationary and upon it will be held a disk 6 which has downwardly extending rods 7 to which will be attached other disks 8 which will form bearings for the rotatable sleeves 9 and 10 encircling the support. The thrust on such hearings will be in a downward direction and since the weight to be supported will be very great, a row of balls 11 will be interposed between the lower disks and the shoulders 12 of the rotatable sleeves. The adjacent faces of these two members will be suitably grooved to retain the balls therebetween.

The rotatable sleeves are two in number, one, 10 inclosing the other 9, both being supported as already described. It will of course be obvious that these thrust bearings may take the form of ball bearings as shown in Fig. 2 or may take the form shown in Fig. 6, in which circular tracks 13 are mounted upon the supporting disks and adapted to be engaged by wheels 14 rotatably mounted upon the lower sides of the shoulders of the sleeves.

The upper shoulder on each sleeve will be in the form of a grooved pulley 15 and will be adapted to receive a belt or cable 16 running over a pulley 17 mounted in a bracket- 18 on the side of the tower, to a smaller pulley 19 driven by the motor 1. One of such intermediate pulleys 17 is shown supported on the lower side of the platform upon which the motor is mounted, and it will be a matter of indifference as to which ofthese supports for the intermediate pulley is used. A suitable reduction in the speed of the motor is obtained by the relative sizes of the pulley used so that the surface speed of the boats will not be too great.

On each of the sleeves there is a second shoulder 20 to which radially extending arms 21 are attached, one of said shoulders being spaced a suitable distance from the other, and each set of arms being bent or curved in substantially the same manner, so that they are approximately parallel throughout their length.

By referring to Fig. 3 it will be seen that I preferably use four arms attached to each shoulder braced by means of members 22 which connect the adjacent arms to each other. Upon a member 23 pivotally at- .tached at some point on each arm there is vertically mounted a rod 24 which is adapted to enter a vertically disposed aperture 25 in the bow of the boat 26 thus permitting the boat to move freely up and down on this rod, its exact position depending upon the height of the water.

The means for controlling the position of the boats with respect to their respective arms will now be described as will also be the means for retaining the boats in their normal circumferential position, namely; the one which they will take when the mechanism is inoperative.

The first named means comprises a motor 27 mounted upon one of the arms and connected by means of a belt or cable 28 running over the pulley 29 with a shaft 30 upon which are mounted five pulleys 31, 32,

33, 34=and 35, the pulley 31 receiving said cable 28. A cable 36 is wound upon the pulley 32 and runs over a pulley 37 mounted at the end of the arm, then running to the end of the member 23 and being fixedly attached thereto, being wound several times around a hook or similar means 38, which it is unnecessary to describe in detail. The cable will then run to the pulley on the end of the next adjacent arm and will be attached to the end of the member mounted on said last named arm. In this way the cable will be attached to each of the boats and will upon the return to the first named arm be engaged by a pulley 39 mounted on the end of a lever 40 which is pivotally mounted on the under side of this arm. A spring 41 connected to the other end of the lever allows for the slight play which will be required as the members are moved to their respective positions. The cable is returned to the pulley 33 mounted upon the shaft 30. It will be seen that the boats on each set of arms can be simultaneously controlled by the operation of the single motor on this arm.

The rotative speed about the central support will be extremely fast and for this reason means must be provided for retaining the boats against the action of centrifugal foree which would move the boats radially outward from their points of attachment and would greatly increase the resistance of the water. Such means comprise a pulley 34 mounted on the shaft 30 driven by the motor 27 as already described. Upon this pulley 34 is wound a cable 42 which passes over one sheave of a two sheave pulley 43 rotatably mounted upon the arm and is then passed over a small pulley 44 mounted near the end of the pivotal member. From here the cable passes through guides or eyelets 45 on the inner side of the nearest boat and from here to a pulley 47 mounted upon the next adjacent arm. In this way the cable is attached to each boat and returns to a pulley mounted on the shaft 30, after passing over the other sheave of the pulley 43 on the arm. As the boats are brought nearer to the central support as a result of the partial rotation of the members causing the boats to lag, the last named cable will be wound up upon the pulley by the operation of the motor andwill thus keep a tension on the cable sufficient to retain the boats in their normal position and resist the centrifugal action.

It will of course be possible to change my device so that each boat can be operated individually, by providing a motor for each arm and slightly rearranging the cables on' the pulleys. In such a modification the boats might be so disposed about the central support that no two would be abreast or even close to each other. Similarly, by increasing the number of sleeves and thereby affording an opportunity to use more sets of arms, it would be possible to drive almost any number of sets of boats around the support in apparent competition. The exact mechanical form and size which my device will take will be governed to a great extent by size of the lagoon available and the strength of the bottom of the same, as a too complicated device could not be operated safely under unfavorable conditions such as those mentioned.

It will be noticed that the rotatable sleeves are mounted on the central support at a considerable height. This is to protect them from the action of the water which cannot of course be prevented from entering the tower at the bottom. By placing the driving mechanism above the water the expense is lessened since no water tight housing need be provided for attachment to the central support around the sleeves or driving mechanism.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed,

- provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a vertically disposed central support; a plurality of sleeves rotatably mounted thereon, each of said sleeves being provided with a shoulder; a plurality of bearing disks disposed one under each of such shoulders to support the same, and connected together; arms attached to said sleeves and extending outwardly therefrom; conveyances attached to said arms; and individual multiple-speed driving means attached to each of such shoulders.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a vertically disposed central support; a disk rigidly attached thereto at right angles to the same; a sleeve rotatably mounted on said support, and being provided with a shoulder extending parallel to said disk and below the same; a second disk attached to said first-named disk and mounted below such shoulder to support the same; and rotating bearing members interposed between such shoulder and said second disk.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination. of a central support; a plurality of sleeves rotatably mounted thereon; arms attached to said sleeves and extending outwardly therefrom; conveyances attached to said arms; and means adapted to adjust said conveyances circumferentially with respect to their respective arms.

4:. In a device of the character described, the combination of a central support; a plurality of sleeves rotatably mounted thereon; arms attached to said sleeves and extending outwardly therefrom; a member pivotally mounted on each of said arms;

a conveyance attached to each of said memlgers; and means for controlling said memers.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a central support; a plurality of sleeves rotatably mounted thereon; arms attached to said sleeves and extending outwardly therefrom; a member pivotally mounted on each of said arms; a conveyance attached to each of said members; and central means mounted on one of said arms and adapted to simultaneously control all of said members.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of a central support; a plurality of sleeves rotatably mounted thereon; arms attached to said sleeves and extending outwardly therefrom; a member pivotally mounted on each of said arms; a conveyance attached to each of said members; a pulley mounted on one of said arms; a motor similarly mounted and connected to operate said pulley; and cables running from said pulley to said members, whereby the latter may be simultaneously controlled by said motor.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a central support; a plurality of sleeves rotatably mounted thereon; arms attached to said sleeves and extending outwardly therefrom; a member pivotally mounted on each of said arms; a conveyance attached to each of said members; a pulley mounted on one of said arms; a motor similarly mounted and connected to operate said pulley; a pulley mounted on each of said arms, a cable running from said first-named pulley to the pulley mounted on the same arm as said first-named pulley, said cable being fixedly connected to said member on the same arm and then running over the pulleys mounted on such other arms, being also fixedly mounted to each of said boats, whereby all of said members may be simultaneously controlled by said motor.

8. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a central support; a sleeve rotatably mounted on said support; an arm attached to said sleeve and extending outwardly therefrom; a rod mounted on said arm; and a boat attached to said rod and freely movable along the same.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a central support; a sleeve rotatably mounted on said support; an arm attached to said sleeve and extending outwardly therefrom; a rod vertically mounted on said arm; and a boat having an aperture through the same adapted to receive said rod whereby said boat is rendered freely movable along said rod.

10. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a central support; a sleeve rotatably mounted thereon; a plurality of arms attached to said sleeve and extending outwardly therefrom; conveyances pivotally attached to said arms; and means adapted to retain said vehicles in their normal circunr ferential position against the centrifugal force. L

11. In a device of the class described, the combination of a central support; a sleeve rotatably mounted thereon; a plurality of arms attached to said sleeve and extending outwardly therefrom; conveyances attached to said arms and having guides mounted thereon; and a cable extending between said arms and passing through said guides.

12. In a device of the class described, the combination of a central support; a sleeve rotatably mounted thereon; a plurality of arms attached to said sleeve and extending outwardly therefrom; boats attached to said arms, said boats having guides mounted adjacent either end of the same; a pulley mounted on one of said arms; a motor for operating said pulley; and a cable passing through said guides and having its ends held on said pulley.

13. In a device of the class described, the combination of a central support; a rota table sleeve mounted thereon; arms attached to said sleeves and extending outwardly therefrom; conveyances attached to the sleeve arms; means for adjusting said conveyances circumferentially with respect to said arms; and means adapted to retain said conveyances in such adjusted positions against centrifugal force tending to move them radially outward.

14. In a device of the class described, the combination of a central support; a rotatable sleeve mounted thereon; arms attached to said sleeve and extending outwardly therefrom; a member pivotally mounted on each of said arms; a conveyance attached thereto; a motor and a pulley operatively connected and mounted on one of said arms;

a cable controlled by said pulley and motor and connected to said members, whereby actuatlon of said motor ad usts said conveyances circumferentially with respect to said arms; and means adapted to retain said coriveyances in such adjusted positions against centrifugal force tending to move them radially outward from said support.

15. In a device of the class described, the combination of a central support; a rotatable sleeve mounted thereon; arms attached to said sleeve and extending outwardly therefrom; a member pivotally mounted on each of said arms; a conveyance attached thereto; a motor and a pulley operatively connected and mounted on one of said arms; a cable controlled by said pulley and motor and connected to said members, whereby actuation of said motor adjusts said conveyances circumferentially with respect to said arms; a second pulley operatively connected to said motor and connected with each of said conveyances, whereby said conveyances may be retained in said adjusted positions.

16. In a device of the class described, the combination of a central support; a rotatable sleeve mounted thereon; arms attached to said sleeve and extending outwardly therefrom; a member pivotally mounted on each of said arms; a conveyance attached thereto; a motor and a pulley operatively connected and mounted on one of said arms; a cable controlled by said pulley and motor and connected to said members, whereby actuation of said motor adjusts said convey ances circumferentially with respect to said arms; a second pulley connected to said 1110- tor; a second cable connected to said second pulley; other pulleys on said arms, and guides on said conveyances adapted to receive said second cable, whereby actuation of said motor adjusts said conveyances circumferentially and radially with respect to said arms and said support, and simultaneously retains said conveyances against centrifugal force tending to move them radially outward.

Signed by me this 3rd day of January, 1912.

MAX F. TROSTLER.

Attested by HORACE B. FAY, ANNA L. GILL.

Copies of thin patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

